Round 4: Seahawks trade for Lendale White

It took until the third day of the NFL draft, but Seahawks general manager John Schneider finally unleashed his inner-trade desires with a swap that brings Tennessee Titans running back Lendale White to Seattle.

The Seahawks gave Tennessee their first pick in the fourth round (104th overall) and their 176th pick in the sixth round.

In exchange, they received the Titans’ 111th pick in the fourth round, their 185th pick in the sixth, plus veteran players White and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson.

In essence, Seattle moved down seven spots in the fourth round and nine spots in the sixth round in order to pick up the two players.

The Seahawks then selected Oregon cornerback Walter Thurmond with the 111th pick. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound Thurmond missed the final nine games last season after tearing up his knee while returning the opening kickoff against Cal, but was regarded as a potential first- or second-round draft pick prior to his injury.

With their second pick in the fourth round, Seattle took North Carolina defensive end E.J. Wilson.

White, 6-1 and 235 pounds, is the big back the Seahawks have sought and he played for Pete Carroll at USC.

The 25-year-old rushed for 1,110 yards for Tennessee in 2007 as a full-time starter and had 15 touchdowns the following year as the Titans’ goal-line back. But his playing time diminished last year when he ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns while playing behind NFL rushing leader Chris Johnson.

White fits into a Seahawks running back mix that currently consists of Julius Jones, Justin Forsett, Louis Rankin and free-agent signee Quinton Ganther.

Vickerson, 27, is a 6-5, 305-pounder out of Michigan State who has seen limited duty in five years in the league, including two seasons in Miami and the past three with Tennessee. He started two games last year for the Titans and finished the season with 28 tackles.

Walter Thurmond

Tennessee used the higher fourth-round pick to take UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner, but the Seahawks landed a Pac-10 corner of their own with Oregon’s Thurmond.

Although he tore three ligaments in his right knee just seven months ago, Thurmond said he’s back to running and cutting and doing some defensive back drills and hopes to be full-go just in time for the start of training camp in July.

“It was pretty tough, being my senior year and getting that taken away from me,” Thurmond said of his season-ending injury. “But I was a team captain so I really had to put my emotions aside for the betterment of the team.”

The Pasadena, Calif., native wasn’t recruited much by Carroll (“I was a little small coming out of high school,” he said), but is looking forward to joining him now in Seattle.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” Thurmond said. “Coach Carroll is a great coach. He’s all about winning and that’s what I’m about. I just want to come up there and compete for a starting job.”

E.J. Wilson

The Seahawks finally bulked out their defensive end position with the selection of North Carolina’s Wilson with the 127th overall pick.

The 6-3, 286-pounder was a three-year starter for the well-regarded Tar Heels’ defense. He had four sacks and five forced fumbles as a senior and is seen as a big end to complement the fleet of smaller speed rushers the team has been accumulating.

“A lot of people don’t see me as a pass rusher, but I’ve been working hard at developing my skills there,” he said. “I’m going to come in an do whatever the coaches want.”

Wilson told his agent he expected Seattle would be his destination after the Seahawks coaches talked to him at length at prior to the draft.

“I had a good feeling about this,” he said. “I wanted to be in Seattle, so it’s just a perfect day for me.”